Raiders report: Josh McDaniels up to challenge

The last time Josh McDaniels challenged a call before Thursday was in December 2010 when, as coach of the Denver Broncos, he successfully appealed what had been ruled a completed pass by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.

He didn’t miss a beat as coach of the Raiders more than a decade later.

McDaniels successfully challenged an offensive play that was ruled incomplete late in the second quarter of the Raiders’ 27-11 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL Hall of Fame Game.

Jarrett Stidham threw a 14-yard out to Tyron Johnson on a third-and-11 play, but the officials ruled Johnson got only one foot inbounds with possession of the ball.

It gave McDaniels and his staff the perfect live-game opportunity to test their procedures for whether to use a coach’s challenge.

“There are so many benefits to (the preseason) if you use it the right way,” McDaniels said Monday. “For us, we try to simulate everything from the way we would do it in the (regular season) from our bus schedule to the stadium to our pregame routine to what we were doing on the field, which got a little disrupted because of the weather, to what we do in the pregame meeting to what we do at halftime, including (challenge) situations.”

In the case of the potential catch by Johnson, McDaniels got word from Matt Sheldon, the team’s director of football research and strategy, in the press box that the play might be worth a review. Though the TV analysts appeared to question the decision, it proved to be a good one.

The officials ruled Johnson had control of the ball when his first foot was still on the ground and then tapped down his second one before stepping out. The successful challenge gave the Raiders a first down and kept alive a drive that resulted in a touchdown just before halftime.

“We knew going into the game that if there was anything close, we wanted to go through our procedure,” McDaniels said. “(Sheldon) is always going to give us the input we need and make the decision whether or not we go ahead and challenge something. We had a couple conversations as the night went on about those things and just so happens that one was close enough that we felt like it was worth doing.”

McDaniels was successful on five of 13 challenges in two seasons with the Broncos.

Attendance report

Offensive tackle Brandon Parker did not practice Monday, leaving Alex Leatherwood to take the majority of first-team reps on the right side.

Parker appeared to be in pain and nursing an arm injury in the locker room after Thursday’s game.

Tight end Darren Waller remained out of practice, as did defensive end Clelin Ferrell. The cornerback group was depleted with Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Averett and Cre’Von LeBlanc sitting out the session.

Seeking reinforcements

Veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton worked out with the Raiders.

The 2015 first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns played two seasons for the Patriots when McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were in New England, then played for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham with the New York Giants last season.

Shelton has started 72 of the 100 games he has played over seven seasons, recording six sacks and 278 tackles.

Good battle

There was some good competition during a one-on-one drill between receivers and defensive backs at the goal line during Monday’s indoor practice.

One particular matchup stood out, as second-year cornerback Nate Hobbs drew star wide receiver Davante Adams.

Hobbs locked down Adams on one rep, prompting some chatter from players waiting to get their reps.

Adams got his revenge the next time through the line, as he stutter-stepped and cut across Hobbs’ face to get a step before reeling in an easy pass for a touchdown.

Hobbs, who is having an excellent camp, also came down with an interception during 11-on-11 drills.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.